Truckee River Flood Project Closes Greg Street

Construction continues on a project that is geared to protect the industrial area of Sparks during a flood.

Crews are working around the clock on the $13.5 million project. The concrete culverts will eventually connect to the North Truckee drain near I-80. A culvert will go underneath Greg Street just south of I-80 near Larkin Circle.

"We're going to intercept that where it crosses beneath Interstate 80 and we're going to turn it and bring it more downstream," says Andy Hummel, utility manager with the City of Sparks.

The goal is to reduce flooding near the Truckee River and north into Sparks. "This project provides a huge flood benefit for the citizens of Sparks. Especially, here in the industrial area. Provides up to a foot of flood reduction in a hundred year storm."

Storms like the one that caused the New Year's Flood in 1997 that impacted much of the Sparks industrial area.

Silver State International was under more than five feet of water. "We had a plaque put up, kind of in memory of how high the water really got," says Chet Johnson.

Today, their operations are normal 17 years after the flood devastated the company. "We anticipated it but nothing like that. It destroyed this place. Every record, everything was destroyed."

That's why so many of the businesses support the flood project. "We're real excited to see this go in. The traffic is a little inconvenient, getting in and out of work, but in the long run, we're really happy to see this happen."

The section of Greg Street has been closed since Sunday and the southbound lanes will re-open this Sunday. The northbound lanes won't re-open for another two months. "It's definitely an inconvenience but when we're done, they'll have a brand new road here that we won't have to come back here and touch for awhile," says Hummel.

Crews have until December to finish phase one of this project. Phase two will happen north of Greg by the interstate. That will start when funding is available in about two years.